(CNN posted the following article on its website on February 7.)
LONDON — Offering swift and comfortable rides straight into the heart of major cities, it’s little wonder trains have been luring business travelers away from short-haul airlines, but can this renaissance in railways stay on track?
The fortunes of rail networks have improved considerably in recent years after a bleak period where it looked as if their creaking services would be sidelined by cheaper, more efficient air connections.
A period of sustained investment, buttressed by concerns over air safety in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., have led to a reversal of fortunes for train operators.
Late last year, European high-speed train operator Eurostar said it had claimed 71 percent of the air and rail market between London and Paris. The company also said it had taken 64 percent of the London and Brussels sector — an increase of 30 percent over the last two years.
The figures released by Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority represented a $630 million increase in sales for Eurostar, which is planning further service enhancements aimed at further hiking profits.
In the U.S., Amtrak is also hoping to muscle in on the air market.
And in Britain, Virgin Trains is claiming an increase in customers — and plans to target more with a new special offer that offers free tickets to air passengers flying between London and Manchester.
According to 2005 figures from the Association of Train Operating Companies, more than one billion train journeys were made in 2003, the highest yearly number since 1962.
A recent survey by Barclaycard Business shows that 32 percent of business travelers prefer to travel by train, compared to 29 percent who favor flying.
“We’re very pleased with the customer response which shows that the investment that is being made with the trains and the track is starting to pay back,” Virgin Trains spokesman Jim Rowe told CNN.
“I think people are understanding the unique benefits that train travel provides — ability to work or relax on board, the possibility of holding meetings with colleagues and, of course, easy access to terminals in city centers.
But while the prospect for rail travel appears to be good in the short term, forecasts for the next decade are not so rosy.
Barclaycard says that while expectations are likely to drive up the standard of service over the next 10 years, intercity rail journeys are likely to be increasingly phased out by technological advances that allow business to be conducted via the Internet.
“By 2015, it is predicted that the number of people who claim to regularly travel by rail will go down from 34 percent to approximately a quarter as the need for traveling shorter distances declines in light of new technologies,” the survey said.